<p>Pawniard sits at a middle ground in the Little Cup metagame. It has a lot going for it, starting with its high Attack stat. This, combined with Swords Dance and Sucker Punch, makes Pawniard a fearsome sweeper that can floor most Pokemon before they have a chance to retaliate. Its Steel-type STAB is good for hitting every Fighting-type in the metagame neutrally on the switch, making them reluctant to try and come in on a Sucker Punch. With a Life Orb set, Pawniard becomes nigh unstoppable after a Swords Dance, as not even defensive Mienfoo can stomach a boosted Iron Head. Defensively, it has that wonderful Steel typing, which gives it a lot of opportunities to switch in on resisted hits with Eviolite, as well as Toxic. Its Defense stat is also above average, which allows it to take hits from powerhouses such as Murkrow and Guts-boosted Taillow with ease.</p>

<p>That same typing, however, gives Pawniard a fatal double weakness to Fighting-type moves, which are everywhere in this metagame. It also gives Pokemon that Pawniard should hard counter, such as Abra and Misdreavus, a chance to outpredict and slay it with Hidden Power Fighting. Its Special Defense is also somewhat dismal, which makes switching in on most special attacks a bad idea. It also competes with Murkrow for a team slot most of the time, due to Murkrow's better movepool, access to Prankster with Substitute and Roost, a STAB move that blows Fighting-types away, as well as shared access to Sucker Punch. Even with these downfalls, Pawniard has excellent potential in the Little Cup metagame and can clean up late-game like no other.</p>

<p>This is Pawniard's best set in the current metagame. With an Eviolite, it grabs a much-needed defensive boost that lets it switch in on Brave Birds and other resisted hits much more easily, which is important due to Pawniard's lack of recovery. It also makes it very easy to set up on weak walls such as Lileep, which can't touch Pawniard at all. Swords Dance doubles Pawniard's Attack stat after one use to a whopping 34, allowing it to break through many of Little Cup's bulkiest walls. Sucker Punch is Pawniard's most powerful physical Dark-type attack, and also has increased priority, which is a main component to Pawniard's success. Without it, Pokemon such as Staryu, Choice Scarf Larvesta, and Drilbur would be sure stops to any Pawniard sweep; a +2 Sucker Punch is a guaranteed OHKO on all of them with a layer of entry hazards.</p>

<p>The last two moveslots can be customized to the role Pawniard is to fill on your team. With Brick Break in the third slot, it gains the ability to hit Steel-types such as Ferroseed and opposing Pawniard. This aids Pawniard a lot in sweeping as it wants the best coverage possible. The other option for this slot is Pursuit, which is best used if Pawniard's main purpose is to eliminate Snover for sand teams. It can switch in easily on Giga Drain and Blizzard, but is 2HKOed by Hidden Power Fire after one round of hail damage, so be wary of that. Pursuit would be good for opposing Ghost-types, but unfortunately, most of them outspeed Pawniard and have Hidden Power Fighting to KO it on the spot. For the last moveslot, it is advisable to choose another STAB move. Iron Head is the main choice to augment the coverage of the first two moves; no Fighting-type in LC resists both Steel- and Dark-type moves, so you will always have a move to hit them with. It also has the same Base Power as Sucker Punch, so you don't need to use it if you fear the opponent won't attack. Night Slash, on the other hand, gives you a reliable Dark STAB to use that doesn't require your opponent to choose an attacking move. This move is best for slower opponents such as Frillish and Slowpoke, as well as Bronzor, Elgyem, and Eviolite Chinchou. However, this gives Pawniard problems with Fighting-types which it can no longer hit very hard.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread gives Pawniard maximum Speed, while shoring up its weaker Special Defense to better take hits from Snover and Lileep. Adamant might seem like a good idea for a nature, but the extra point in Attack actually doesn't increase Pawniard's damage at all, so Jolly is superior. This allows it to always outspeed unboosted Scraggy, as well as neutral natured Houndour. As for partners, it's obvious that something to switch into Fighting-types is a good idea. Misdreavus is the best Ghost-type in the metagame, and pairs well with Pawniard on offensive teams to provide a strong special attacker to complement Pawniard's physical offense. Fire-types also scare Pawniard, and so Chinchou pairs well with it to take on Larvesta and Houndour which would otherwise pose problems. Ironically, Pawniard is probably the only Dark-type that Misdreavus can beat, so using Pawniard as your sole Misdreavus check is highly inadvisable. Murkrow provides good support as it can beat Misdreavus most of the time and crush Fighting-types with Brave Bird.</p>

<p>While the Eviolite set focuses on taking hits and then setting up, this set is all about offense with a lot less bulk. The change to Life Orb from Eviolite is a significant one, and causes Pawniard to lose almost all of its defensive potential. However, in exchange, it gets a huge increase in power. For example, the standard Mienfoo tank set is demolished by a +2 Iron Head, while Life Orb Murkrow is OHKOed by a +2 Sucker Punch all the time if it has taken one round of Life Orb recoil beforehand.</p>

<p>As similar as this set and the Eviolite set may seem, their playstyles are very different. Whereas the Eviolite set uses its high defenses to set up boosts, this one sets up on forced switches such as against Lileep or Choice-locked Snover. Once you've set up one Swords Dance boost, there is almost nothing in the metagame that can stop Pawnaird. The main moveset stays the same from the Eviolite set, sans Pursuit. Pawniard is trying to boost when the opposing Pokemon switches out, not knock it out. For the last slot, Iron Head is highly recommended, but if you really need to ensure the KO on Slowpoke and Frillish and the 2HKO on Bronzor, then Night Slash will work too.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Maximum Attack and Speed with a Jolly nature are a must on this set to ensure that Pawniard can outspeed and KO as many threats as possible. The leftover EVs provide a one point boost to both defenses, which can be helpful sometimes. Some of the Fighting-types that plague Eviolite Pawniard, such as Mienfoo and Scraggy, are now blown away by its power, but Timburr and Croagunk still pose a threat with their priority Fighting-type moves. As Pawniard is much more frail this time around, it needs a bit more support to sweep than the Eviolite set. Misdreavus and Murkrow are still the best choices for opposing Fighting-types, while Chinchou handles Fire-types. A Fighting-type of your own, such as Knock Off Mienfoo, is very useful for weakening enemy walls such as Bronzor and Porygon which could otherwise take a hit and cripple Pawniard.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>A Choice Scarf set could be viable, but Mienfoo fills that role much better with its higher Speed, powerful STAB Hi Jump Kick, and Regenerator. Zen Headbutt scores a strong hit on most of the Fighting-types in the metagame, but since most of them have priority or are already beaten by Iron Head, it sees little use. For most of the BW1 metagame, Stealth Rock was illegal with Sucker Punch as Egg moves for Pawniard, but now that Stealth Rock is available through tutors, it can possibly utilize a bulky Stealth Rock support set.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Timburr and Croagunk are far and away the biggest threats to Pawniard, since they can put it down with their STAB priority Fighting-type moves. Mienfoo and other Fighting-types can also work well, but they need to be wary of Pawniard's boosted attacks. Basically, anything with a Fighting-type move that isn't weak to Sucker Punch can make an excellent Pawniard check. Magnemite can trap Pawniard while resisting Sucker Punch and Iron Head, but needs to be wielding a Choice Scarf to avoid a Brick Break, and can't break through the Eviolite set if Pawniard is at full health. Misdreavus initiates a deadly guessing game with Will-O-Wisp, Hidden Power Fighting, and Sucker Punch, where the wrong move will KO either Pawniard or Misdreavus. Most of the time, though, Misdreavus comes out on top due to its higher Speed and ability to take a burned Iron Head well.</p>

We're still discussing whether your Swords Dance set is correct. The Support set looks dumb though, in general. I'd probably ask you to remove that...unless you make it better...and have very compelling logs.

Choice scarf is actually pretty decent and I messed around with it for a while last round. Because it hits 24 speed after the scarf boost, you can revenge kill a weakened scraggy as well as misdreavus and you don't.

Eviolite should get a slash on the first set seeing as pawniard has a tough time setting up. I think it's the superior option if you're looking for more of a sweeper than revenge killer.

Added some things, Zen headbutt really shouldn't be mentioned in AC because Iron head ohkoes bulky mienfoo and timburr/croagunk are going to wreck you with priority.

I have used Choice scarf but I thought it was outclassed by mienfoo.

Eviolite doesn't really help, as without LO you lose koes on off cs chinchou, scraggy, frillish.

Click to expand...

Umm.. that's why you use zen headbutt so you can do some damage to them on the switch, a OHKO in croagunk's case.

Mienfoo can't revenge missy (or any ghost for that matter) and doesn't have as many resistances to switch in on, pawniard also doesn't have to risk clicking HJK if it wants to get a kill. Maybe some more opinions on this would be good.

What are you realistically going to set up on with LO? At least with eviolite you can tank an EQ from bronzor and take BBs much more comfortably from vullaby etc.

When you said that Snover can't 2HKO it at all, you forgot to factor in hail damage, which adds just enough for the 2HKO on the switch into HP Fire. As an SD sweeper, it really misses Brick Break, and while Pursuit is pretty cool, it can only really force out Snover locked into something like Blizzard. Otherwise, all the Ghost-types in the meta just set up a Sub, Wisp you, or KO you outright. I'd say stick with the main Evio SD set.

My findings: you don't even have an Eviolite SD set. Likewise, Brick Break is incredibly unimportant on anything besides Magnemite and Ferroseed. I want that set on the analysis, but I give you permission to slash Brick Break in front of Pursuit. The bulk isn't just for Snover, and I apologize about the mistake with HP Fire...though it still generally lives 2 and smashes Snover locked into Blizzard / Giga Drain...which it always is mid game.

My set is going on (with Brick Break as first slash) and is going on as first set.

My findings: you don't even have an Eviolite SD set. Likewise, Brick Break is incredibly unimportant on anything besides Magnemite and Ferroseed. I want that set on the analysis, but I give you permission to slash Brick Break in front of Pursuit. The bulk isn't just for Snover, and I apologize about the mistake with HP Fire...though it still generally lives 2 and smashes Snover locked into Blizzard / Giga Drain...which it always is mid game.

My set is going on (with Brick Break as first slash) and is going on as first set.

Click to expand...

Taking a closer look, your EV spread differs from the standard EVs by shifting one point of Attack into Special Defense. I believe we had a conversation about how that Attack point didn't matter and I agree. I'll go put in the spread now.

When testing this set out, I've said to myself "Man I wish I had Brick Break" way more than I said "Man I'm glad I have Pursuit." It's not just those two that it hits. You've got opposing Pawniard, Recovering Water-types such as Staryu and Chinchou, Scraggy who lives through a +2 Iron Head, Porygon who can do that too, and more. Pursuit is great if you are using Pawniard as pure sand support, but as an actual sweeper, you definitely want to have as much coverage as possible.

I don't exactly know why you're slashing Life Orb and Eviolite on. The two sets are rather...completely different, to be honest, with Eviolite actually being good. I dunno, I'm thinking Life Orb in AC.

This analysis wasn't mine to begin with, and I haven't really edited the skeleton that much besides with your changes since it is pretty solid. Life Orb isn't bad, especially when you outspeed defensive Mienfoo and OHKO LO and Scarf Mienfoo with a +2 LO Sucker Punch. Life Orb should be the second slash IMO, but it is definitely not a useless item to have.

Oh, I'm not saying that Life Orb is useless. I'm just thinking it and Eviolite are different sets. Maybe we make two separate SD sets? Eviolite, LO, and then a Scarf set, with bulky SR in OO? I think that makes good use of Pawniard's abilities.

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[Overview]

<p>Pawniard sits at a middle ground in the Little Cup metagame. It' has got a lot going for it, starting with its high Attack stat. This, combined with Swords Dance and Sucker Punch, makes Pawniard a fearsome sweeper that can floor most Pokemon before they have a chance to retaliate. Its Steel-type STAB is good for hitting every Fighting-type in the metagame neutrally on the switch, making them reluctant to try and come in on a Sucker Punch. With a Life Orb set, Pawniard becomes nigh unstoppable after a Swords Dance, as not even defensive Mienfoo can stomach a boosted Iron Head. Defensively, it has that wonderful Steel- typing, which gives it a lot of opportunities to switch in on resisted hits with Eviolite, as well as Toxic. It's Defense stat is also above average, which allows it to take hits from powerhouses such as Murkrow and GutsTaillow (is scarf taillow even a thing anymore?)with ease.</p>

<p>That same typing, however, gives Pawniard a fatal double weaknesses to Fighting-type moves, which are everywhere in this metagame. ThisIt also gives Pokemon that Pawniard should hard counter, such as Abra and Misdreavus, a chance to outpredict and slay it with a Hidden Power Fighting. Its Special Defense is also somewhat dismal, which makes switching in on most special attacks a bad idea. It also competes with Murkrow for a team slot most of the time, thanksdue to Murkrow's better movepool, access to Prankster with Substitute and Roost, a STAB move that blows Fighting-types away, as well as shared access to Sucker Punch. Even with these downfalls, Pawniard has excellent potential in the Little Cup metagame and can clean up late-game like no other.</p>

<p>This is Pawniard's best set in the current metagame. With an Eviolite, it grabs a much-needed defensive boost that lets it switch in on Brave Birds and other resisted hits much more easily, which is important due to Pawniard's lack of recovery. It also makes it very easy to set up on weak walls such as Lileep, whoich can not touch Pawniard at all. Swords Dance doubles Pawniard's Attack stat after one use to a whopping 34, allowing it to break through many of Little Cup's bulkiest walls. Sucker Punch is Pawniard's most powerful physical Dark-type attack, and also has increased priority, which is a main component to Pawniard's success. Without it, threatsPokemon such as Staryu, Choice Scarf Larvesta, and Drilbur would be sure stops to any Pawniard sweep. A; a +2 Sucker Punch is a guaranteed OHKOes all on of them with a layer of Spikes or Stealth Rock, and sometimes even withoutentry hazards.</p>

<p>The last two moveslots can be customized to the role Pawniard is to fill. With Brick Break in the third slot, it gains the ability to hit Steel-types, such as Ferroseed and opposing Pawniard. This aids Pawniard a lot in sweeping asince it wants the best coverage possible. The other option for this slot is Pursuit. Pursuit, which is best used if Pawniard's main purpose is to eliminate Snover for sand teams. PawniardIt can switch in easily on Giga Drain and Blizzard, but is 2HKOed by Hidden Power Fire after one round of hail damage, so be wary of that. Pursuit would be good for opposing Ghost-types, but unfortunately, most of them outspeed Pawniard and have Hidden Power Fighting to KO it on the spot. For the last moveslot, it is advisable to choose another STAB move to move. Iron Head is the main choice to augment the coverage of the first two moves; no Fighting-type in LC resists both Steel- and Dark-type moves, so you will always have a move to hit them with. It also has the same bBase pPower as Sucker Punch, so you don't need to use it if you fear the opponent won't attack. Night Slash, on the other hand, gives you a reliable Dark STAB to use that doesn't require your opponent to choose an attacking move. This move is best for slower opponents such as Frillish and Slowpoke, as well as Bronzor, Elgyem, and Eviolite Chinchou. However, this gives Pawniard problems with Fighting-types whomich it can no longer hit very hard.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread gives Pawniard maximum Speed, while shoring up its weaker Special Defense to better take hits from Snover and Lileep. Adamant might seems like a good idea for a nature, but the extra point in Attack actually doesn't increase Pawniard's damage at all, so Jolly is superior. This allows it to always outspeed unboosted Scraggy, as well as neutral natured Houndour. As for partners, it's obvious that something to switch into Fighting-types is a good idea. Misdreavus is the best Ghost-type in the metagame, and pairs well with Pawniard on offensive teams to provide a strong special offenseattacker to complement Pawniard's physical offense. Fire-types also scare Pawniard, and so Chinchou pairs well with it to take on Larvesta and Houndour whoich would otherwise pose problems. Ironically, Pawniard is probably the only Dark-type that Misdreavus can beat, so using Pawniard as your sole Misdreavus check is highly unadvisable. Murkrow provides good support asince it can beat Misdreavus most of the time and crush Fighting-types with Brave Bird at the same time.</p>

<p>While the firstEviolite set focuses on taking hits and then setting up, this set is all about offense with a lot less bulk. The change to Life Orb from Eviolite is a significant one, and as mentioned before, causes Pawniard to lose almost all of its defensive potential. However, in exchange, it gets a huge increase in power. For example, the standard Mienfoo tank set is demolished by a +2 Iron Head, while LO Murkrow is OHKOed by a +2 Sucker Punch all the time if it tookhas taken one round of Life Orb recoil beforehand.</p>

<p>As similar as this set and the set above mayEviolite set might seem, their playstyles are very different. Whereas the Eviolite set uses its high defenses to set up boosts, this one sets up on forced switches, such as against Lileep or cChoice-locked Snover. Once you've set up one Swords Dance boost, there is almost nothing in the metagame that can stop you. The main moveset stays the same from the Eviolite set, sans Pursuit. Pawniard is trying to boost when the opposing Pokemon switches out, not knock it out. For the last slot, Iron Head is highly recommended, but if you really need to ensure the KO on Slowpoke and Frillish and the 2HKO on Bronzor, then Night Slash will work too.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Maximum Attack and Speed with a Jolly nature are a must on this set to ensure that Pawniard can outspeed and KO as many threats as possible. The leftover EVs provide a one point boost to both defenses, which can be helpful sometimes. Some of the Fighting-types that used to plague Pawniard, such as Mienfoo and Scraggy, are now blown away by Pawniard'its power, but Timburr and Croagunk still pose a threat with their priority Fighting-type moves. As Pawniard is much more frail this time around, it needs a bit more support to sweep than the Eviolite set. Misdreavus and Murkrow are still the best choices for opposing Fighting-types, while Chinchou handles Fire-types. A Fighting-type of your own, such as Knock Off Mienfoo, is very useful for weakening enemy walls such as Bronzor and Porygon which could otherwise take a hit and cripple Pawniard.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>A Choice Scarf set could be viable, but Mienfoo fills that role much better with its higher Speed, powerful STAB Hi Jump Kick, and Regenerator. Zen Headbutt scores a strong hit on most of the Fighting-types in the metagame, but since most of them have priority or are already brokeaten by Iron Head, it sees little use. For most of the BW1 metagame, Stealth Rock was illegal with Sucker Punch as egg moves for Pawniard, but now that Stealth Rock is available through tutors, it can possibly utilize a bulky Stealth Rock support set.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Timburr and Croagunk are far and away Pawniard'sthe biggest threats to Pawniard, since they can put it down with their STAB priority Fighting-type moves. Mienfoo and other Fighting-types can also work well, but they need to be wary of Pawniard's boosted attacks. Basically, anything with a Fighting-type move that isn't weak to Sucker Punch can make an excellent Pawniard check. Magnemite can trap Pawniard while resisting Sucker Punch and Iron Head, but needs to be wielding a Choice Scarf to avoid a Brick Break, and can't break through the Eviolite set if Pawniard is at full health. Misdreavus initiates a deadly guessing game with Will-O-Wisp, Hidden Power Fighting, and Sucker Punch, where the wrong move will KO either Pawniard or Misdreavus. Most of the time, though, Misdreavus comes out on top due to its higher Speed and ability to take a burned Iron Head well.</p>

C&C Leader

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[Overview]

<p>Pawniard sits at a middle ground in the Little Cup metagame. It has a lot going for it, starting with its high Attack stat. This, combined with Swords Dance and Sucker Punch, makes Pawniard a fearsome sweeper that can floor most Pokemon before they have a chance to retaliate. Its Steel-type STAB is good for hitting every Fighting-type in the metagame neutrally on the switch, making them reluctant to try and come in on a Sucker Punch. With a Life Orb set, Pawniard becomes nigh unstoppable after a Swords Dance, as not even defensive Mienfoo can stomach a boosted Iron Head. Defensively, it has that wonderful Steel typing, which gives it a lot of opportunities to switch in on resisted hits with Eviolite, as well as Toxic. Its Defense stat is also above average, which allows it to take hits from powerhouses such as Murkrow and Guts-boosted Taillow with ease.</p>

<p>That same typing, however, gives Pawniard a fatal double weakness to Fighting-type moves, which are everywhere in this metagame. It also gives Pokemon that Pawniard should hard counter, such as Abra and Misdreavus, a chance to outpredict and slay it with Hidden Power Fighting. Its Special Defense is also somewhat dismal, which makes switching in on most special attacks a bad idea. It also competes with Murkrow for a team slot most of the time, due to Murkrow's better movepool, access to Prankster with Substitute and Roost, a STAB move that blows Fighting-types away, as well as shared access to Sucker Punch. Even with these downfalls, Pawniard has excellent potential in the Little Cup metagame and can clean up late-game like no other.</p>

<p>This is Pawniard's best set in the current metagame. With an Eviolite, it grabs a much-needed defensive boost that lets it switch in on Brave Birds and other resisted hits much more easily, which is important due to Pawniard's lack of recovery. It also makes it very easy to set up on weak walls such as Lileep, which can't touch Pawniard at all. Swords Dance doubles Pawniard's Attack stat after one use to a whopping 34, allowing it to break through many of Little Cup's bulkiest walls. Sucker Punch is Pawniard's most powerful physical Dark-type attack, and also has increased priority, which is a main component to Pawniard's success. Without it, Pokemon such as Staryu, Choice Scarf Larvesta, and Drilbur would be sure stops to any Pawniard sweep; a +2 Sucker Punch is a guaranteed OHKO on all of them with a layer of entry hazards.</p>

<p>The last two moveslots can be customized to the role Pawniard is to fill on your team. With Brick Break in the third slot, it gains the ability to hit Steel-types such as Ferroseed and opposing Pawniard. This aids Pawniard a lot in sweeping as it wants the best coverage possible. The other option for this slot is Pursuit, which is best used if Pawniard's main purpose is to eliminate Snover for sand teams. It can switch in easily on Giga Drain and Blizzard, but is 2HKOed by Hidden Power Fire after one round of hail damage, so be wary of that. Pursuit would be good for opposing Ghost-types, but unfortunately, most of them outspeed Pawniard and have Hidden Power Fighting to KO it on the spot. For the last moveslot, it is advisable to choose another STAB move to move. Iron Head is the main choice to augment the coverage of the first two moves; no Fighting-type in LC resists both Steel- and Dark-type moves, so you will always have a move to hit them with. It also has the same Base Power as Sucker Punch, so you don't need to use it if you fear the opponent won't attack. Night Slash, on the other hand, gives you a reliable Dark STAB to use that doesn't require your opponent to choose an attacking move. This move is best for slower opponents such as Frillish and Slowpoke, as well as Bronzor, Elgyem, and Eviolite Chinchou. However, this gives Pawniard problems with Fighting-types which it can no longer hit very hard.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>The EV spread gives Pawniard maximum Speed, while shoring up its weaker Special Defense to better take hits from Snover and Lileep. Adamant might seem like a good idea for a nature, but the extra point in Attack actually doesn't increase Pawniard's damage at all, so Jolly is superior. This allows it to always outspeed unboosted Scraggy, as well as neutral natured Houndour. As for partners, it's obvious that something to switch into Fighting-types is a good idea. Misdreavus is the best Ghost-type in the metagame, and pairs well with Pawniard on offensive teams to provide a strong special attacker to complement Pawniard's physical offense. Fire-types also scare Pawniard, and so Chinchou pairs well with it to take on Larvesta and Houndour which would otherwise pose problems. Ironically, Pawniard is probably the only Dark-type that Misdreavus can beat, so using Pawniard as your sole Misdreavus check is highly inadvisable. Murkrow provides good support as it can beat Misdreavus most of the time and crush Fighting-types with Brave Bird.</p>

<p>While the Eviolite set focuses on taking hits and then setting up, this set is all about offense with a lot less bulk. The change to Life Orb from Eviolite is a significant one, and causes Pawniard to lose almost all of its defensive potential. However, in exchange, it gets a huge increase in power. For example, the standard Mienfoo tank set is demolished by a +2 Iron Head, while Life Orb Murkrow is OHKOed by a +2 Sucker Punch all the time if it has taken one round of Life Orb recoil beforehand.</p>

<p>As similar as this set and the Eviolite set may seem, their playstyles are very different. Whereas the Eviolite set uses its high defenses to set up boosts, this one sets up on forced switches such as against Lileep or Choice-locked Snover. Once you've set up one Swords Dance boost, there is almost nothing in the metagame that can stop Pawniard. The main moveset stays the same from the Eviolite set, sans Pursuit. Pawniard is trying to boost when the opposing Pokemon switches out, not knock it out. For the last slot, Iron Head is highly recommended, but if you really need to ensure the KO on Slowpoke and Frillish and the 2HKO on Bronzor, then Night Slash will work too.</p>

[ADDITIONAL COMMENTS]

<p>Maximum Attack and Speed with a Jolly nature are a must on this set to ensure that Pawniard can outspeed and KO as many threats as possible. The leftover EVs provide a one point boost to both defenses, which can be helpful sometimes. Some of the Fighting-types that used to plague Pawniardplague Eviolite Pawniard, such as Mienfoo and Scraggy, are now blown away by its power, but Timburr and Croagunk still pose a threat with their priority Fighting-type moves. As Pawniard is much more frail this time around, it needs a bit more support to sweep than the Eviolite set. Misdreavus and Murkrow are still the best choices for opposing Fighting-types, while Chinchou handles Fire-types. A Fighting-type of your own, such as Knock Off Mienfoo, is very useful for weakening enemy walls such as Bronzor and Porygon which could otherwise take a hit and cripple Pawniard.</p>

[Other Options]

<p>A Choice Scarf set could be viable, but Mienfoo fills that role much better with its higher Speed, powerful STAB Hi Jump Kick, and Regenerator. Zen Headbutt scores a strong hit on most of the Fighting-types in the metagame, but since most of them have priority or are already beaten by Iron Head, it sees little use. For most of the BW1 metagame, Stealth Rock was illegal with Sucker Punch as Egg moves for Pawniard, but now that Stealth Rock is available through tutors, it can possibly utilize a bulky Stealth Rock support set.</p>

[Checks and Counters]

<p>Timburr and Croagunk are far and away the biggest threats to Pawniard, since they can put it down with their STAB priority Fighting-type moves. Mienfoo and other Fighting-types can also work well, but they need to be wary of Pawniard's boosted attacks. Basically, anything with a Fighting-type move that isn't weak to Sucker Punch can make an excellent Pawniard check. Magnemite can trap Pawniard while resisting Sucker Punch and Iron Head, but needs to be wielding a Choice Scarf to avoid a Brick Break, and can't break through the Eviolite set if Pawniard is at full health. Misdreavus initiates a deadly guessing game with Will-O-Wisp, Hidden Power Fighting, and Sucker Punch, where the wrong move will KO either Pawniard or Misdreavus. Most of the time, though, Misdreavus comes out on top due to its higher Speed and ability to take a burned Iron Head well.</p>